Article rack



FIG...

March 9 s. L. c. EARLE 2,

ARTICLE RACK Original Filed Feb. 10, 1940.

' 4 INVENTOR aura/v L. c. EARLE A TTOR/VEY Patented Mar. 2, 1943 .m'rrcmanon Guyon L. C. Earle, Forest Hills, N. Y., assignor to Genevieve M.Earle, Forest Hills, N. Y.

Original application February 10, 1940, Serial No. 318,223. Divided andthis application January 16, 1941, Serial No. 374,630

7 Claims.

This invention relates to racks and more specifically to racks forholding bottles and related articles, particularly in drawers forrefrigerators.

This application is a division of an application Serial No. 318.223,filed February 10, 1940, by Guyon L. C. Earle. I

It is an object of this invention to provide a novel rack or supportinstructure for bottles and the like.

In U. S. Patent 2,180,459, issued November 21, 1939, to Guyon L. C.Earle, there is disclosed a refrigerator having a plurality of drawerstherein (instead of one large outside door). The use of drawers isadvantageous as it permits more food to be stored and makes it possibleto better arrange the food in the refrigerator and to take out anarticle without disarranging other dishes or packages, etc. Thehousewife needs only to pull out a drawer and then place the article tobe refrigerated exactly where she wants it or take out an article, bothwithout moving the adjacent food. Moreover, she can easily see exactlywhat is in the refrigerator without stooping or without squinting aroundarticles placed at the front of the refrigerator (as in the case of theconventional single door refrigerator).

It is a further object of this invention to provide a novel articlerack, particularly one which is suitable for refrigerator drawers.

In one embodiment of this invention, chosen by way of example forpurposesof illustration of the principles of this invention, an articlerack is provided for a refrigerator having drawers. In one form therefrigerator comprises a relatively deep (considering depth as thehorizontal dimension from. front to rear) lower portion, a relativelynarrow upper portion the front of which is set back from the front ofthe lower portion, and a table top member above the lower portion and infront of the upper portion; The lower portion comprises a plurality ofdrawers.

Within at least one of the drawers is the novel a front, andside wallsbut with no bottom. Within this rack is mounted a plurality of metalbottle supporting members, each of the latter comprising facilitatestheir removal. Due to the fact that the rack has no bottom, it is easierto clean and cold air circulates through it. In such a typical drawer,

two of these racks are arranged on opposite sides of a central rack(which may be supported at both front and rear from the drawerframework) which is preferably large enough to hold a medium sizeturkey. The other drawers may have bottle racks therein or they may eachhave one or more simple drawer-like racks with one or more apertures intheir bottom surfaces to permit the circulation of cold air. The upperdrawer may be like one of the others or it may comprise a single rackwith a foraminated bottom so designed as to distribute the circulationof cold. air. For example, the

punched out or grid portions may be left attached to the bottom at oneedge, thereof and thushelp to deflect the air downward.

In the upper portion of the refrigerator is arranged the evaporatorunit, ice cube trays, and an upper refrigerated compartment. Above therefrigerator is placed a suitable cabinet structure, the front plane ofwhich is preferably set out from the front plane of the upper portion ofthe refrigerator but which is set back from the front plane of the lowerportion of the refrigerator. The compressor for the refrigerator ispreferably located under a sink or other unit adapted to be placedadjacent the refrigerator unit and connection is made to-it from theevaporator by means of fiexible tubing. All drawer fronts, doors, andwalls are I bottle rack of this invention containing a back, U

thickly-insulated and all drawer and door seats Fig. 3 is an enlargedside elevation view with portions broken away of the drawer of Fig. 2taken through the line 3-3 of that figure.

Referring more particularly to the drawing,

Fig. 1' shows, for purposes of illustration and inperspective, arefrigerator unit 20 having in the lower drawer thereof two articleracks in accordance with this invention. This refrigerator comprisesalower refrigerator portion 2 I, an -u per set-back refrigeratorportion'22, a table top member 23 above the lower portion 2| and infront of the upper portion 22, and a cabinet structure 24. The entireunit is preferably mounted on a recessed base 38.

The upper refrigerator portion 22, the front of which is preferablyset-back from the front of the lower refrigerator portion 2|; comprisesa compartment 25, containing the evaporator 26 of the refrigeratoroperating mechanism, and a plurality of ice cube trays 2'l and an upperrefrigerated compartment 28 at the side of the compartment 25, whichcompartment 28 preferably contains one or more mesh shelves 32. The

compartments 2! and 28 are separated from each other at the front by thecommon 'door'jamb 29 for the insulated doors 30 and 3|. One or both ofthe doors 30 and 3| may be replaced by drawers, if desired.

The cold air from the evaporator 26 is caused to flowinto the lowerrefrigerator portion 2| and then back up through the upper refrigeratedcompartment 28 and over to the evaporator coils. The circulation 'of'theair into both front and back portions of the lower portion 2| of therefrigerator may be aided by a fixed or removable deflecting member orby any other appropriate means. For a more complete description of afrom the rollers III engaging tracks 'I5I. Details of the rollers andtracks and the manner in which the downwardly inclined portion I52 ofthe tracks helps to close and retain closed the drawer are described inthe parent application.

Reference will now be made to Fig. 3 which is a cross-sectional viewwith portions broken away of the rack 8| taken along lines 3-3 in Fig. 2

refrigerator having an upper set-back portion, 7

reference may be made to Patent 2,149,160, issued November 21, 1939, toGuyon L. C. Earle, and to an application Serial No. 318,224, filedFebruary 10, 1940, by the same inventor. The compressor for therefrigerator may be placed under an adjacent unit, such as a sink, andconnection made to it from the evaporator 26 by flexible tubing, asdisclosed in the co-pending Earle application.

The walls of the lower portion 2| of the refrigerator of this inventionpreferably enclose a large well into which a plurality of drawers 40,4i, 42 and 43 are caused to slide. While'four drawers have been shownfor purposes of illustration, it is to be understood that a larger orsmaller number may be used, as desired. Each of the drawers ispreferably slidably supported from its .Well by a telescopic extensionmember referred to generally by the referencecharacter 44, although itis to be understood that any other well known means for mounting thedrawers may be used instead. The large well may be considered to bedivided into a plurality of individual wells for the respective drawersby bands 35, 36, ll and 48 each of which forms, in front, a stop memberfor the drawer fronts. Gasket material (not shown) may be applied to theinner surface of the drawer fronts 53, 54, 55 and 56.

While the drawers closing the lower refrigerated portion 2| may be ofthe kind having .a bottom grid surface to permit air circulationtherethrough, as disclosed in the co-pending Earle application mentionedabove, they may be, in accordance .with this invention, of an entirelydifferent type. As set forth in detail in the parent application one ormore of the upper drawers may comprise a framework which at leastpartially supports one or more racks or trays 60, some or all of theseracks being also supported from one or more tracks.

The bottle rack drawer 43 is preferably deeper than the others and isprovided with the novel rack or racks of this invention (although it is,of course, to be understood that one or more of the upper drawers may belike drawer 43 in this respect). In Fig. 2 is shown in plan view thebottle rack drawer 43 comprising a rack III which may be supportedentirely (both front and rear) from the drawer frame 43, and having abottom, and the two side racks 80 and BI (for bottles) carrying smallplates 82 and 83 at the rear thereof to which rollers I50 may beattached to engage tracks I5I having a downwardly inclined rear portion.The tracks run under the drawer the length thereof and thus partiallysupport the two racks 80 and 8|, they also receiving partial supportfrom the front of the drawer framework 43 by means of the flanges I53 onthe upper parts of the racks. If desired, all three 'racks may besupported only at the front by the drawer framework, they receiving therest of their. support of bottles.

(the. rack being similar). Considering this figure along with Fig. 2, itwill be. clear that they show clearly the arrangement of bottlesupporting members 84, each comprising a relatively large inclined pieceand a turned-in piece 86, the latter having a turned-down portion 81 forstiffening and so that; there are no turned up edges to cut fingers orto engage the bottoms The angle between each of the pieces 85 and itscorresponding piece 86 is a little larger than a right angle to forcethe bottle against the preceding inclined piece 85 for support and thusprevent the bottles from moving around. Each inclined piece preferablyhas waves or raised portions 88 and 89 therein to keep the bottles fromrolling. The supporting members -84 are fastened to the sides 30 and Mof the rack by any convenient method and are placed far enough apart toaccommodate bottles 2, 2 or 3 inches in diameter. If desired, thedistance between the first two supporting members 84 of the rack 80 maybe greater than between the others (say, for example, 4 inches) toaccommodate larger bottles as (for example) large milk bottles orcartons. It may be desired to dispense with one of the waves or raisedportions in the first supporting member 84 if it is desired to supportonly one bottle or container. In Fig. 2, the relative size of the largebottom drawer may be observed as it can be used to carry over two dozenbottles of milk, cola drinks, beer, etc., and have enough room in themiddle rack '50 for a turkey, etc.

The drawer frames 40, 4|, 42 and 43 move in a horizontal plane but dueto the rear portions I52 of the tracks I5I below the drawers beingsloped downwardly and rearwardly, on which tracks move rollers I50 onthe trays, the downward movement of the rear portions of the outsidetrays or racks (as for example, trays 80 and 8| of the lowest drawer 43)helps the drawer to close and to remain closed. If desired, all threetrays I0, 8|! and 8| may be integral and have only a single roller. Bythe arrangement of this invention, the weight of the entire drawer andits contents is distributed on the tracks and upon the telescopic sideextension members 44. Because of this 3 or 4 point distribution ofweight, there is no severe strain on any part and the drawer rollseasily in and out. The trays may be easily and entirely removed forcleaning. If the drawer consisted of one member (that is, without thetrays) it would be hard to remove it from its extension. members. In thearrangement according to this invention only the trays or racks need beremoved except for a complete cleaning of the refrigerator. For a morecomplete description of the drawer structure per se, as distinguishedfrom the bottle racks 80 and SI, reference should be made to the parentapplication.

Above the refrigerator (see Fig. 1) is preferably arranged the cabinetstructure 24 containing a plurality of shelves of any conviraiient form.The structure is closed by doors All walls, drawer fronts and doors ofthe refrigerator are insulated with any suitable matethe inclinedportion of rial. If desired, portions of the refrigerator unit "maybeset back into the wall of the kitchen,

as in the co-pending Earle application.

While the invention has been described in connection with a "set-back"type refrigerator, is obvious that it is not limited to that specifictype as in certain of its aspects the invention is equally applicable toother types. Moreover, the invention in'some of its aspects is notlimited to refrigerators as some of the features of this invention areequally applicable to other types of furniture.

Various modifications may be made in the embodiments described abovewithout departing, from the spirit of the invention, the scope of theinvention being indicated by the appended claims. If desired, the racksmay be perma- ,nently attached to the drawer framework or sides. In theclaims the term "drawer" is to be construed broadly enough to cover askeleton framework having one or more trays or racks therein.

What is claimed is:

l. A drawer rack member comprising front, back and side walls but havingan open bottom, and a plurality of supporting members for bottles andsimilar articles, said members having portions which are disposed ingenerally parallel relation in the space bounded by said walls, each ofsome of said supporting members comprising a long inclined portionadapted to support a side of a bottle or similar article and a shorterportion integral therewith positioned to extend rearwardly at an angleto said long inclined portion and terminating short of the inclinedportion of an adjacent supporting member to support the bottom ofanother bottle or similar article a side of which is supported by saidadjacent supporting member.

a side of which is supported by the inclined portion of said adjacentsupporting member, the long portion making an angle with its associatedshorter portion which is slightly greater than a right angle.

4. An article rack comprising front, side and back walls, and aplurality of relatively thin supporting members each disposed betweenthe side walls, the intersection of-the upper portion of each supportingmember and a side wall making an acute. angle with respect to the planeof the front wall, each of some of said members having a lower portionwhich is directed downwardly at an angle with respect to the upperportion thereof and which terminates short of the adjacent supportingmember, the supporting members being so arranged and spaced that abottle or similar article has a side thereof supported by the upperportion of one supporting member and the bottom of said articlesupported by the lower portion of an adjacent supporting member.

5. An article rack comprising front, side and back walls, and aplurality of relatively thin sup- 2. A drawer rack membercomprising'front;

back and side walls but having an open bottom,

and a plurality of supporting members for botties and similar articles,said members h'aving portions which are disposed in generally parallelrelation in the space bounded by said walls, each of some of saidsupportingmembers comprising a long inclined portion adapted to supporta side of a bottle or similar-article and a shorter portion integraltherewith positioned to extend rearwardly at an angle to said longinclined portion and terminating short of the inclined portion of anadjacent supporting member to support the bottom of another bottle orsimilar article a side of which is supported by the inclined'portion ofsaid adjacent supporting member, thelong portion of at. least some ofthe supporting members being corrugated to keep the bottles fromrolling.

3. A drawer rack member comprising front, back and side walls but havingan open bottom, and a plurality of supporting members for botties andsimilar articles, said members having portions which are disposed ingenerally parallel relation in the space bounded by said walls, each ofsome of said supporting members comprising a long inclined portionadapted to support a side of a bottle or similar article and a shorterportion integral therewith positioned to extend rearwa'rdly at an angleto said long inclined portion and terminating short of the inclinedportion of an adjacent supporting member to support the bottom ofanother bottle or similar article porting members each disposed betweenthe side walls, the intersection of the upper portion of each supportingmember and a side wall making an acute angle with respect to the planeof the front wall, each of some of said members having a lower portionwhich is directed downwardly at an angle with respect to the upperportion thereof and which terminates short of the adjacent supportingmember, the supporting members being so arranged and spaced that abottle or similar article has a side thereof supported by the upperportion of one supporting member and the bottom of said articlesupported by the lower portion of an adjacent supporting member, theangle between the lower portion and the upper portion of a supportingmember being greater each supporting member and a side wall making anacute angle with respect to the plane of the front wall, each of some ofsaid members having alower portion which is directed downwardly at anangle with respect to the upper portion thereof and which terminatesshort of the adjacent supporting member, the supporting members being soarranged and spaced that a bottle or similar article has a side thereofsupported by the upper portion of one supporting member and the bottomof said article supported by the lower portion of an adjacent supportingmember, said lower portion having the lower edge thereof turned downwardto prevent this edge from engaging the articles and for stiffeningpurposes.

7. An article rack for refrigerator drawers comprising front, back, andside walls, and a plurality of supporting members for bottles andsimilar articles disposed between said side walls,

porting member.

GUYON L. C. EARLE.

